The only problem with using the Bible to declare homosexuality a sin is that the Bible has no authority in a secular society. It is your belief that it is the word of god and that is not based on observable reality.
Telling you that is not the same as persecuting Christians. Get off your fucking high horse.

"AFA reported that themselves and many other Christian groups have been added to the SPLC's list of "hate groups" simply because they declare the biblical fact that homosexuality is a sin."

It's not so much what they say as how they say it. Nobody goes on a list of hate groups because people don't like what they say--they get themselves put on such lists by calling for people/groups to be killed, discriminated against or "removed" from society in some way.

if by 'declaring that homosexuality is a sin because the bible says so' you mean 'shoving your idea that homosexuals will rot/burn in hell for all eternity', then i think you deserve to be on a hate group list.

It has come to my attention that many humans who lead blameless and industrious lives are actively disparaged and openly hated by barbaric Christian lunatics and Islamic madmen who look to books of sheer horror in order to justify their savagery. These abject morons declare that living is evil and they look forward to death. The main reason for this is an aversion by their religious leaders to people other than themselves having sex. If they can get their believers to worship death, then there's not any reason for those believers to procreate.

And yet, at no time have Quakers, Unitarian Universalists, and non-fundie Christians (especially the fellow commenters here in FSTDT) ever felt their beliefs were under threat. Why should they?

"AFA reported that themselves and many other Christian groups have been added to the SPLC's list of "hate groups" simply because they declare the biblical fact that homosexuality is a sin."

'Sin' is a man-made concept. Nothing more.

'Sin is geographical.'

-Bertrand Russell

Besides:

Openly practicing any religion other than Wahhabi Islam in Saudi Arabia is a sin and illegal in the eyes of their Sharia law & courts (to say nothing of their Mutawwa). And yet, practicing of any religion in the US is protected by the US Constitution. Destroyed argument, much?

Rush Limburger can spew whatever biased right-wing verbal diarrhoea on US radio. Yet, if he were to do the same on British TV, he'd have the full legal power of OFCOM drop on him like a ton of bricks, and legally forced to not only retract what he said and have to be left-wing in his speech & opinions too (and he'd be heavily fined as well; this happened to Sky News once).

So indeed (certainly here in the UK), having such opinions is a crime. Thought Police (at least anti-homophobic/anti-racist/anti-Semitic/anti-sexist/etc, via the relevant legislation). Good.